Chris Janson and Eric Church Team Up For Ultimate Murder-Mystery In Haunting ‘You, Me & The River’ Music Video

Chris Janson joined forces with his musical hero, Eric Church, for a brand-new duet, “You, Me & The River” and…

By

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

April 29, 2022

at

10:52 am

Share on:

Chris Janson, Eric Church; Photo via YouTube

Chris Janson joined forces with his musical hero, Eric Church, for a brand-new duet, “You, Me & The River” and the pair brought the song to life with a haunting new music video. 

Chris Janson; Photo via YouTube
Chris Janson; Photo via YouTube

Janson and Church unveiled the chilling, cinematic clip to accompany the murder ballad on Friday (April 29). Directed by Church’s longtime collaborator, Reid Long, the black and white clip opens with Church dragging a body into a river. Janson then appears driving to a wooded area to bury a body that later appears to be Church. 

Chris Janson, Eric Church; Photo via YouTube
Chris Janson, Eric Church; Photo via YouTube

The storyline, which plays out like a mini-movie, intertwines with clips of Janson and Church in what appears to be an interrogation room while singing the song as if they were being questioned about a murder. 

The two appear to be haunting each other in other scenes of the soul-stirring clip. 

Eric Church; Photo via YouTube
Eric Church; Photo via YouTube

Janson recently spoke with CMT about “pretty intense” filming process and compared the music video to the Netflix drama series, Ozark.

“At the end of the day, this video was a blast to make – but it was creepy too, and that was fun in a whole new way!” Janson added. “It was real acting. And Eric Church is a trooper, man. He said, ’Throw a bunch of dirt on my face.’ So I covered my buddy up in dirt on a cold spring night. Like I said… creepy!”

YouTube video

The track was written solely by Church and marks the first song Janson has cut that he didn’t have a hand in writing. 

“Hey buddy, hey buddy, ain’t that Mississippi muddy / In this town, well, yeah, she takes what you give her / So tonight I lay me down to sleep / And pray my soul and my secret to keep / Between you, me and the river,” Janson and Church sing on the chorus. 

Janson revealed that he was actually pitched “You, Me & The River” by Church via text.

“I just said, ’You know what? I would record this. The song is pretty badass,” Janson recalled. “I was like, ’You wanna do a duet?’ He hit me back. ’I’m in.’ I was like, ’Oh my God, I can’t even believe it.’ I told (my wife), I guess I’m doing an Eric Church duet for the new album.”

The pair have gone on to form a friendship and Janson says it’s “been amazing.”

“You, Me & The River” isn’t the only song Church contributed to on Janson’s new album, All In, as Church also co-wrote another track on the project, “Flag On The Wall.”

YouTube video

Out now, All In features 16 tracks, including his Eric Church collaboration and another duet with Travis Tritt. The project also includes his latest single, “Bye Mom,” as well as the previously released songs “Cold Beer Truth,” and “Keys To The Country.”

“The title ‘All In’ epitomizes this album,” Janson previously shared. “There are all kinds of songs on this project, but they all flow together because they are genuine to me. I went all in on every part of the process, from writing to singing to playing to producing. I feel like it’s my best, most true-to-myself album to date.”

Co-produced by Janson alongside Tommy Cecil, Zach Crowell and Brad Clawson, All In includes co-writes with some of Nashville’s most sought after songwriters, including Church, Ashley Gorley, David Lee Murphy, Rhett Akins, Casey Beathard, Dallas Davidson and more.

Share on:

Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.